WOW - I'm jealous that you have so much spare time. You'll be happy to know that the factory set up works beautifully; we have over 2 feet of heavy, wet, sticky snow accumulated here now. I've been out blowing daily, sometimes twice daily for the past 4 days. 1/3 mile gravel driveway, 1/2 mile gravel road around the pond, and 3 large driveways all with comfort and ease. Operation is smooth; after discovering that easing into the snow will prevent shear bolts from breaking I've broken no more. It looks so easy, my wife is now demanding that I teach her to use this thing.
Kubota B2650 and B3350 info and hints
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OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
BadDog,
Free time??* Will freely admit that always looking for the hidden flaw or trying to improve things can be a sickness (but does make me happy on those rare occasions I meet with success!). However, in my younger days that failing held me in good stead w/ tool royalties from minor inventions.
*I prioritize my "to do list" in order of importance . . . but do things in the order of what I prefer to do. The disagreeable stuff at the top of the list magically fades in importance over time. Drives my wife nuts.
BTW, in one sticky snowfall the impeller paddles loaded up with solid "pancakes" of mostly translucent packed ice that refused to fling off (or even pry off easily) . . . as soon as that happened the throw distance and efficiency of the blower dropped precipitously. My fault as I didn't allow blower enough time to acclimatize before use after removing from warm garage, and didn't spray anything on the blades to prevent initial build up.
UHMW PE is amazing stuff as snow all but refuses to stick. Tough as nails and slicker than snake snot on a flat rock, it'll improve throw distance and efficiency.
bumper
Free time??* Will freely admit that always looking for the hidden flaw or trying to improve things can be a sickness (but does make me happy on those rare occasions I meet with success!). However, in my younger days that failing held me in good stead w/ tool royalties from minor inventions.
*I prioritize my "to do list" in order of importance . . . but do things in the order of what I prefer to do. The disagreeable stuff at the top of the list magically fades in importance over time. Drives my wife nuts.
BTW, in one sticky snowfall the impeller paddles loaded up with solid "pancakes" of mostly translucent packed ice that refused to fling off (or even pry off easily) . . . as soon as that happened the throw distance and efficiency of the blower dropped precipitously. My fault as I didn't allow blower enough time to acclimatize before use after removing from warm garage, and didn't spray anything on the blades to prevent initial build up.
UHMW PE is amazing stuff as snow all but refuses to stick. Tough as nails and slicker than snake snot on a flat rock, it'll improve throw distance and efficiency.
bumper
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
I appreciate the telescoping sway links on the BXX50's, but that little 10mm pin with the clip underneath is fiddly to deal with - - forget it wearing leather gloves.
Here's a *much* better alternative, albeit a little more expensive, still for this quality of quick release ball pin it's a good deal . . . and more importantly, it'll make you smile every time you use it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=251101669070&view=all&tid=1355027581015
EDIT, There may be some sort of anomaly with the above listing. The price I paid was even less than the listing asking price for some reason $10.04 for two of them with free shipping!! Unfortunately, the listing on ebay for this pin has been "updated" by the seller, and I can't find it listed now. It was shipped by Amazon, though this was not readily apparent (or I didn't notice) on the eBay listing. Shipping was only 2 days.
In any case it is a Jergens stainless steel pin, 10mm diameter, 25mm grip length.
bumper
Here's a *much* better alternative, albeit a little more expensive, still for this quality of quick release ball pin it's a good deal . . . and more importantly, it'll make you smile every time you use it!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=251101669070&view=all&tid=1355027581015
EDIT, There may be some sort of anomaly with the above listing. The price I paid was even less than the listing asking price for some reason $10.04 for two of them with free shipping!! Unfortunately, the listing on ebay for this pin has been "updated" by the seller, and I can't find it listed now. It was shipped by Amazon, though this was not readily apparent (or I didn't notice) on the eBay listing. Shipping was only 2 days.
In any case it is a Jergens stainless steel pin, 10mm diameter, 25mm grip length.
bumper
Last edited:
2010drive
Bronze Member
Hey, bumper sounds like you've gotten to use your blower...We're finally getting a good snowfall here and I will be using mine tomorrow morning for the first time! I put a heavy coat of fluid film on it so I expect no sticking. Are you using grease on the teeth of the chute rotator?
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
Yes, I took the chute off and greased that puppy up every way but Sunday! Made it a lot quieter.
We've had two semi-decent snowfalls, first was 8" but the last was only about 3". Plus the last one was slushy underneath and tended to push up in a heap in front of the blower - - stop, back up a foot or two, drive into it and WOOOMF! Away it blows!. Still, a neighbor with a walk behind said it was plugging his blower chute up so it wouldn't work hardly at all, had to keep unclogging it. Mine, with the UHMW liner, had no clogging issues whatsoever. I did spray Pam cooking spray on the auger faces and on the impeller blades before heading out.
bumper
We've had two semi-decent snowfalls, first was 8" but the last was only about 3". Plus the last one was slushy underneath and tended to push up in a heap in front of the blower - - stop, back up a foot or two, drive into it and WOOOMF! Away it blows!. Still, a neighbor with a walk behind said it was plugging his blower chute up so it wouldn't work hardly at all, had to keep unclogging it. Mine, with the UHMW liner, had no clogging issues whatsoever. I did spray Pam cooking spray on the auger faces and on the impeller blades before heading out.
bumper
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
The B50 series tractors have lower cab height that their bigger cousins and this puts the side mirrors right where you can bump them. As the adjustment ball is only about 5/8" in diameter, it doesn't offer enough resistance to keep the mirror in adjustment, so even a slight "bump" means having to re-adjust the mirror - - a pain.
To gain access to the mounting/adjustment screws, press hard inward on the middle of the plastic cover while prying out at the lower corner with a small screwdriver or awl. The ball clamp has an internal metal place cast into the plastic, so it is possible to tighten the screws to increase tension . . . however, this won't be enough to improve things enough.
I first tried inserting a piece of butyl rubber caulk on one mirror and a small square of 3M black self-vulcanizing tape on the other. Only a minor improvement was had with the 3M tape, which has a high coefficient of friction, being best. Next I used a small center punch to dimple the front side of the swivel ball along with the 3M tape - - only slightly better. Smoothed the dimples with a diamond file and gave up on that approach.
Next I cleaned all surfaces (again) and applied a coating of "Tacx carbon assembly compound" (available on Amazon*). Tacx is used for assembling carbon frame bicycles. It is a light grease with very fine plastic spheres in suspension - - you can't see them, but they feel like grit. The idea is the spheres flatten and fill microsopic voids in the material to be clamped with the plastic entering voids on each surface, locking them together in shear. This stuff worked well! ("Well" being a relative term in this case . . . but nonetheless a huge improvement in mirror stability.)
My goal was to have a minor bump on the mirror operate the "position latch" with the mirror swinging out of the way but not moving out of adjustment. To accomplish this I also greased the pivots and latch pins and reduced spring tension by backing off the lower pivot nuts (may need to Loctite the nuts to keep them from backing off).
With both the Tacx on the ball socket and greased pivots with reduced spring tension, I can now happily bonk my mirrors and they unlatch and swing out of the way while retaining mirror adjustment . . . only have to swing the pivot back to the latched position with no need to re-adjust the %$#@ mirror all over again.
To further "fix" the mirror head in position, after assembly and adjustment, I filled in the void where the shaft enters the top of the mirror with butyl rubber tape (caulk). The black butyl caulk does not harden, bonds to itself, seals out water from entering the mirror at the top, and is easy to remove. This step was probably not necessary, but couldn't hurt as the ball and socket mount is not sealed from weather at all.
Kubota really should redesign the mirror ball mount. Using a bigger ball would be a good start.
*Tacx is handy to have around I guess, but some will never use it again. If this be you, you can probably get a dab of this stuff for free if you visit your local bicycle shop and ask nicely (assuming they deal is high quality bikes, carbon frames and such), a dab the size of a peanut is all you'll need.
bumper
To gain access to the mounting/adjustment screws, press hard inward on the middle of the plastic cover while prying out at the lower corner with a small screwdriver or awl. The ball clamp has an internal metal place cast into the plastic, so it is possible to tighten the screws to increase tension . . . however, this won't be enough to improve things enough.
I first tried inserting a piece of butyl rubber caulk on one mirror and a small square of 3M black self-vulcanizing tape on the other. Only a minor improvement was had with the 3M tape, which has a high coefficient of friction, being best. Next I used a small center punch to dimple the front side of the swivel ball along with the 3M tape - - only slightly better. Smoothed the dimples with a diamond file and gave up on that approach.
Next I cleaned all surfaces (again) and applied a coating of "Tacx carbon assembly compound" (available on Amazon*). Tacx is used for assembling carbon frame bicycles. It is a light grease with very fine plastic spheres in suspension - - you can't see them, but they feel like grit. The idea is the spheres flatten and fill microsopic voids in the material to be clamped with the plastic entering voids on each surface, locking them together in shear. This stuff worked well! ("Well" being a relative term in this case . . . but nonetheless a huge improvement in mirror stability.)
My goal was to have a minor bump on the mirror operate the "position latch" with the mirror swinging out of the way but not moving out of adjustment. To accomplish this I also greased the pivots and latch pins and reduced spring tension by backing off the lower pivot nuts (may need to Loctite the nuts to keep them from backing off).
With both the Tacx on the ball socket and greased pivots with reduced spring tension, I can now happily bonk my mirrors and they unlatch and swing out of the way while retaining mirror adjustment . . . only have to swing the pivot back to the latched position with no need to re-adjust the %$#@ mirror all over again.
To further "fix" the mirror head in position, after assembly and adjustment, I filled in the void where the shaft enters the top of the mirror with butyl rubber tape (caulk). The black butyl caulk does not harden, bonds to itself, seals out water from entering the mirror at the top, and is easy to remove. This step was probably not necessary, but couldn't hurt as the ball and socket mount is not sealed from weather at all.
Kubota really should redesign the mirror ball mount. Using a bigger ball would be a good start.
*Tacx is handy to have around I guess, but some will never use it again. If this be you, you can probably get a dab of this stuff for free if you visit your local bicycle shop and ask nicely (assuming they deal is high quality bikes, carbon frames and such), a dab the size of a peanut is all you'll need.
bumper
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
Referring back to post #19 in this thread, I finally got around to replacing the two stock 35 watt halogen work lights on my 3350. This photo is a comparison of the stock light on the left (right side of tractor) and the 36 watt LED on the right. Note that of the 4 LED work lamps I purchased, one was defective, having 3 weak LEDs AND the defective LED in the one shown on the right in this photo! Even defective, it puts out several times more light than the halogen, and a more even pattern too.
bumper
bumper
Bumper,
Great work with the pe lining.
I am waiting to see if you line the impeller housing...
How did you fasten the pe in the areas that you lined?
Also, do you have a link to the led lights and the Jergens pin?
I have a B3000 with a 2782, and the regen idiosyncracy exists in the B3000/LA403 FEL controls as well.
I was thinking about creating (drilling/milling) a hole into the chain cover plate so as to apply chain lube instead of removing the plate. Take a look at that and see what you think.
RFB
Great work with the pe lining.
I am waiting to see if you line the impeller housing...
How did you fasten the pe in the areas that you lined?
Also, do you have a link to the led lights and the Jergens pin?
I have a B3000 with a 2782, and the regen idiosyncracy exists in the B3000/LA403 FEL controls as well.
I was thinking about creating (drilling/milling) a hole into the chain cover plate so as to apply chain lube instead of removing the plate. Take a look at that and see what you think.
RFB
Dan W
Silver Member
Gents, very interesting read, thank you.
One item which contributes to engine
harder starting with the new EPA EGR engines, (DPFs and DOCs) is that engine injecting timing is retarded, which means the fuel injected late and therefore causes harder starts. This has been a constant source of grief in the highway truck industry as Mr. Paystar will attest to.
We can thank these government mandated changes for ever increasing levels of complicated engines, next will be SCR systems in addition to EGRs and DPFs, and DOCs.... But then again, we can all breath easier.
Dan
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
Dan,
Thankfully we don't have to deal with urea injection on the B3350, and my understanding is it doesn't use EGR either, just the DPF and as you said, delayed injection timing.
At least the DPF is *supposed* to last thousands of hours . . . at almost 69, I'm not sure I even have thousands of tractor hours left :c)
I plan to buy a shop manual for the tractor when I can find one. Looking at the free parts diagram/lists on Messicks is helpful, but haven't been able to determine much about the B3350's regen function, if it uses a computer, timer, or input from the 3 temperature probes on the DPF. I can't find any indication that is uses differential pressure (Delta P) to initiate regen. Nor is there an LCD display of DPF blockage percentage as there is on some of the larger 'Botas.
bumper
Thankfully we don't have to deal with urea injection on the B3350, and my understanding is it doesn't use EGR either, just the DPF and as you said, delayed injection timing.
At least the DPF is *supposed* to last thousands of hours . . . at almost 69, I'm not sure I even have thousands of tractor hours left :c)
I plan to buy a shop manual for the tractor when I can find one. Looking at the free parts diagram/lists on Messicks is helpful, but haven't been able to determine much about the B3350's regen function, if it uses a computer, timer, or input from the 3 temperature probes on the DPF. I can't find any indication that is uses differential pressure (Delta P) to initiate regen. Nor is there an LCD display of DPF blockage percentage as there is on some of the larger 'Botas.
bumper
Dan W
Silver Member
Happy NewYear Bumper,
Interestingly there is a ton of information out there regarding emission systems in the truck transportation market and hardly any the ag business. The US EPA's mandate (from 1999 until 2013) was to get diesel engine NOx emissions down to near 0 and the same for soot. The first step was the removal of sulfur from diesel fuel, down to 15ppm (sulfur is what causes soot in retarded injection systems and EGR engines). The EGR systems worked to slow down the rate of burn during combustion, thereby reducing combustion temperatures which resulted in lowering NOx, but on the negative side, created soot due to cooler combustion, which required an exhaust trap or filter. The DPF works best under higher engine loads(it works as a function of heat), it traps soot and burns it into ash which falls to the bottom of the filter housing, to be cleaned out after so many hours of use. The filter does this while the tractor is working normally (under engine load) and a forced regeneration is not typically required all that often. The soot trap DPF loads up over time and will do so rather quickly especially when the engine exhaust is cooler due to light loads, and the pressure transducers (one at the inlet and one at the outlet) read the preset deltaP, then sets off an indicator light telling the operator to start a parked regeneration, (hopefully not while parked under a tree) which is a controlled burn set off by the DOC (diesel oxidation cat or furnace) to super heat the DPF. Some systems do not use DOCs and accomplish the DPF burn using an in-cylinder solution (needs to be an electronic injection engine controlled by an ecm). Either way super heat needs to be generated inside the DPF to burn the soot.
My new tractor has a retarded engine (the Fred should like that term) and it starts poorly, (inside my heated shop) never fires on all cylinders, takes about 3 to 5 seconds to fire them all, but my older one starts great.
Take care Bumper...
Dan
Interestingly there is a ton of information out there regarding emission systems in the truck transportation market and hardly any the ag business. The US EPA's mandate (from 1999 until 2013) was to get diesel engine NOx emissions down to near 0 and the same for soot. The first step was the removal of sulfur from diesel fuel, down to 15ppm (sulfur is what causes soot in retarded injection systems and EGR engines). The EGR systems worked to slow down the rate of burn during combustion, thereby reducing combustion temperatures which resulted in lowering NOx, but on the negative side, created soot due to cooler combustion, which required an exhaust trap or filter. The DPF works best under higher engine loads(it works as a function of heat), it traps soot and burns it into ash which falls to the bottom of the filter housing, to be cleaned out after so many hours of use. The filter does this while the tractor is working normally (under engine load) and a forced regeneration is not typically required all that often. The soot trap DPF loads up over time and will do so rather quickly especially when the engine exhaust is cooler due to light loads, and the pressure transducers (one at the inlet and one at the outlet) read the preset deltaP, then sets off an indicator light telling the operator to start a parked regeneration, (hopefully not while parked under a tree) which is a controlled burn set off by the DOC (diesel oxidation cat or furnace) to super heat the DPF. Some systems do not use DOCs and accomplish the DPF burn using an in-cylinder solution (needs to be an electronic injection engine controlled by an ecm). Either way super heat needs to be generated inside the DPF to burn the soot.
My new tractor has a retarded engine (the Fred should like that term) and it starts poorly, (inside my heated shop) never fires on all cylinders, takes about 3 to 5 seconds to fire them all, but my older one starts great.
Take care Bumper...
Dan
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
Dan,
My B3350 has the same starting issues you describe. Holding glow plugs on longer (it's a manual decision on this model, not auto timed) seems to help a little, as does having the throttle at mid point . . . but still it chugs and stumbles along, sometimes for 6 to 10 seconds - - if it were a person, you'd slap it on the back.
The DPF on this tractor has three probes, all of them temperature sensors according to the parts list and each with different part numbers. I've removed each and they do appear to be temperature probes. One was quite difficult to remove, even though the engine was low time, 15 hours, the hex nut tended t deform though I was using a six point box end wrench (I had to remove contacts from plug to get the wrench on - - previous attempts with a flare nut wrench were not going to do it. Also had to apply heat. On re-assembly I used nickel anti-seize and moderate torque!
I'd sure like to know more about the tractors regen programming. If it were out of warranty I'd be tempted to . . .
bumper
My B3350 has the same starting issues you describe. Holding glow plugs on longer (it's a manual decision on this model, not auto timed) seems to help a little, as does having the throttle at mid point . . . but still it chugs and stumbles along, sometimes for 6 to 10 seconds - - if it were a person, you'd slap it on the back.
The DPF on this tractor has three probes, all of them temperature sensors according to the parts list and each with different part numbers. I've removed each and they do appear to be temperature probes. One was quite difficult to remove, even though the engine was low time, 15 hours, the hex nut tended t deform though I was using a six point box end wrench (I had to remove contacts from plug to get the wrench on - - previous attempts with a flare nut wrench were not going to do it. Also had to apply heat. On re-assembly I used nickel anti-seize and moderate torque!
I'd sure like to know more about the tractors regen programming. If it were out of warranty I'd be tempted to . . .
bumper
Bumper,
"I may install a drip tube that will drip the oil onto the inside surface of the chain. Only need a small cup or cavity on the outside with a cover to keep water and dirt out, fill with oil, go blow snow."
I started looking at drip oilers and found this; not high tech but it has a certain elegance in its simplicity: Simple Drip Oiler for a Horizontal Bandsaw - YouTube
I saw one made from aluminum on Ebay for $11.69
After seeing some of your work I am sure that yours will be stainless steel with a wifi digital control from inside the cab
"I may install a drip tube that will drip the oil onto the inside surface of the chain. Only need a small cup or cavity on the outside with a cover to keep water and dirt out, fill with oil, go blow snow."
I started looking at drip oilers and found this; not high tech but it has a certain elegance in its simplicity: Simple Drip Oiler for a Horizontal Bandsaw - YouTube
I saw one made from aluminum on Ebay for $11.69
After seeing some of your work I am sure that yours will be stainless steel with a wifi digital control from inside the cab
Last edited:
OP
bumperm
Veteran Member
Bumper,
After seeing some of your work I am sure that yours will be stainless steel with a wifi digital control from inside the cab
Guilty . . . I get carried away sometimes.
In this case, though, a drip oiler may be overkill. Most drive chains, and I think this one, are O-ring type, with sealed in lubricant. The user manual suggests chainsaw bar oil at I think 10 hour intervals.
EDIT: Manual says every 4 hours and after each use.
Bar oil is typically sticky, and besides making a mess, tends to stay in place for awhile. It's only being used to lube the rollers and sprocket wear surfaces as the lube inside the chain takes care of the pin to roller interface.
So, I'm thinking just a small metal cup with tube to dribble a little bar oil onto the "inside" of the chain loop as the blower is running. No needle valve needed, as the oil can dump onto the chain in seconds and enough will stay in place for the duration. Good news is it's a nice clean environment, no dust or dirt to speak of (completely unlike a motorcycle or bicycle chain) and so chain and sprocket life should be good.
bumper
Last edited:
number two
Veteran Member
- Joined
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- Tractor
- Kubota B3030HSDC Kubota L2501HST
For lubrication of the o-ring chain on the B2782 blower,it's nice to have a helper.
I place the PTO selection lever in the rear PTO position;this allows the front(mid)driveshaft to turn freely.
Just ahead of where the driveshaft enters the blower is a small space through which you can see the chain.
Having the helper rotate the blower fan turns the driveshaft and chain allowing me to apply lubricant to the slowly rotating chain.
I've been using Lucas oil supplement at the suggestion of a long time biker friend.The quart bottle easily applies the lube through small opening.
Beats taking off the chain cover every time-I seem to recall 4 hour chain lube intervals.Good Luck!
I place the PTO selection lever in the rear PTO position;this allows the front(mid)driveshaft to turn freely.
Just ahead of where the driveshaft enters the blower is a small space through which you can see the chain.
Having the helper rotate the blower fan turns the driveshaft and chain allowing me to apply lubricant to the slowly rotating chain.
I've been using Lucas oil supplement at the suggestion of a long time biker friend.The quart bottle easily applies the lube through small opening.
Beats taking off the chain cover every time-I seem to recall 4 hour chain lube intervals.Good Luck!
Dealing with a ridiculous amount of snow here in Erie Pa this year. Snowblower works great, B2650 not so much. It works great for 1 hour or so, then starts blowing black smoke and losing power. Dropping the revs removes the smoke, but leaves me unable to do any meaningful work, other than limp back home. It's relatively cold lately (only 15-20F), and I've been leaving the tractor outside, so I'm wondering if it's just the diesel gelling, or water in the fuel forming ice crystals. No obvious water is visible in the fuel filter. It runs fine (for another hour or so) if I put it in my heated shop (60F) for an hour or so. Added some Stanadyne (~2 oz) and new fuel tonight, and will let it sit in the workshop overnight and hit the snow drifts again tomorrow. Will update if this cures the issue, and appreciate any ideas anyone might offer.
Get it to heated shop, pull the filter and wash it in Power Service 911 (Red Bottle). Drain fuel tank; use a siphon to get most old fuel out. Add fresh fuel with Power Service White Bottle, and give it a generous amount. Mix some Red Bottle 911 with some fresh diesel and fill the filter cup, reinstall the filter, run tractor and also bleed 30 seconds.
The Red Bottle 911 should clear the filter and clean any downstream clogs; the fresh fuel with White Bottle will take over and prevent further.
The Red Bottle 911 should clear the filter and clean any downstream clogs; the fresh fuel with White Bottle will take over and prevent further.
RFB, thanks for the advice. I replaced the fuel and installed a brand new fuel filter. Ran for an hour, then more black smoke and no power. Limped back to the shop at about 1400 rpm - that's all I could get without smoking. Clearly there is no fuel problem, even though it was only 3F this morning. Curious, I opened the air filter canister, the filter inside was entirely encased in ice crystals; in fact the canister was fully packed with ice. I pulled out both the outer and inner filters; the inner was a bit wet, but not frozen. I dried it out with compressed air, and re-installed with a new outer air filter. Looking at the air intake coming from the canister, I notice it was routed to sit on the top of the radiator shroud, so it draws in fresh outside air from the front of the radiator. I adjusted it to fit behind the radiator shroud, twisting the upper air hose assembly to put the intake on the other side of the engine bay, so it will not get fresh outside air, but air that is directly behind the radiator shroud. Closed things up and back outside to try again. This time, no issues, 2 hours of snow removal and no black smoke, no power loss, all is good again. When I finished, I went back in the shop to see if the air filter was wet or icy. Dry as a bone, and warm, but not hot. Problem solved! I will remember to move the intake back in the summer if I notice any overheating.
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